Ethnoscience and Biology Overview

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Questions and Answers

What is a common explanation for the perception of illness across cultures?

Humorism: imbalance of bodily fluids. (correct)

Cognitive dissonance theory: conflicting beliefs about health.

Transactional theory: bargaining with health.

Hypochondria theory: fear of false illness.

How does disgust function as a protective mechanism?

By enhancing cognitive awareness of food safety.

By evoking a visceral reaction to deter contact with harmful substances. (correct)

By fostering social relationships through shared disgust experiences.

By increasing appetite towards perceived harmful substances.

Which of the following describes a key intuition regarding disease transmission?

Any mode of contact can transmit disease, including minimal contact. (correct)

Airborne diseases are primarily spread through sound vibrations.

Visible symptoms are the primary mode of disease spread.

Only significant exposure leads to potential infection.

In which stage do children's eating preferences begin shifting towards food separation and neophobia?

Stage 2: Food separation and neophobia. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common trigger for disgust that universally elicits a reaction?

Bodily fluids and rotten foods. Signup and view all the answers

What is ethnoscience primarily concerned with?

Cultural knowledge about the natural world Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a distinctive property of living things?

Mobility Signup and view all the answers

Inductive inference in biological taxonomies generally allows us to:

Generalize characteristics from one member to an entire class Signup and view all the answers

Children's resistance to the idea of species transformation primarily reflects their tendency towards:

Essentialist thinking Signup and view all the answers

Folk taxonomies are typically characterized by which of the following features?

They are practical and adaptable to cultural contexts Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes the role of prototypes in category formation?

They exemplify typical but not exhaustive representations of a category Signup and view all the answers

What primarily drives the development of biological knowledge in early humans?

Foraging needs relating to nutrition and resource seasonality Signup and view all the answers

What defines an ethnic group?

Exclusive social categories based on features like language Signup and view all the answers

What does ethnocentrism primarily involve?

Perceiving one's own culture as central and others as different Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes essentialism in social categories?

Groups possess inherent, unchangeable qualities Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant social implication of essentialism?

Stereotyping and social separation among groups Signup and view all the answers

Which case study illustrates essentialist beliefs about social categories?

Cagots in medieval France and Spain Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the ethnic model of nation-building?

Nationhood based on common ancestry and language Signup and view all the answers

What is a limitation of essentialism in explaining social attitudes?

It does not fully explain emotional responses like fear or hatred Signup and view all the answers

What is a common stereotype associated with the blacksmith caste in West Africa?

Distinctive characteristics about appearance and behavior Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'jus sanguinis' refer to in the context of nation-building?

The right of blood or common ancestry in determining citizenship Signup and view all the answers

Which phrase is commonly associated with an ethnocentric perspective?

Manifest Destiny Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Ethnoscience and Folk Biology

Ethnoscience: The study of cultural knowledge about the natural world, often including ethnobotany (plant knowledge) and folk medicine.
Folk biology is the intuitive and culturally shared understanding of biological concepts, particularly prevalent in non-Western cultures.

Distinctive Properties of Living Things

Reproduction: Organisms produce offspring, a defining characteristic of life.
Complexity: Biological systems are highly intricate and multilayered.
Irreversible Patterns: Growth and development follow specific, irreversible paths.
Intrinsic Features: Living things possess essential traits that define their observable properties.
Homeostasis: Biological entities regulate themselves internally to maintain stability.

Human Cognition and Biology

Human understanding of biology developed through foraging, driven by needs for identifying safe foods, avoiding toxins, and adapting to seasonal resource availability.
This knowledge was crucial for survival and influenced human evolution.

Biological Taxonomies

Folk taxonomies are structured in nested categories, similar to scientific classifications.
Key levels:
- Folk-kingdom: The broadest level, such as animals and plants.
- Life-forms: General groupings, like fish, mammals, or trees.
- Generic Species: Common species, for example, dog or oak.
- Folk-specific: Particular types within a species, such as Amur Tiger.
- Folk-varietal: Specific varieties within a species, like a toy poodle.

Concepts and Mental Representation

Prototypes: Typical examples that represent categories, leading to "fuzzy" or graded membership.
Essentialism: The belief that members of a species share an underlying "essence" that explains their features.

Inductive Inference

Taxonomic principles allow us to generalize properties from one individual to the entire category (e.g., if one cow has a placenta, we assume all cows likely do).
This principle supports reasoning and learning by inference within categories.

Children's Understanding of Biological Categories

Children naturally exhibit essentialist thinking.
They resist the idea of one species transforming into another (e.g., a dog turning into a cat).

Ethnicity

Refers to social categories often based on language, religion, and shared cultural practices.
These categories are typically exclusive, with individuals belonging to only one.
There is often an assumption of common descent, inheritance, and unchangeable membership.

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to view one's own culture as central and others as different, inferior, or exotic.
It manifests in various aspects of culture, including language, stereotypes, cuisine, dress, and more.

Essentialism applied to social categories means perceiving groups as having inherent, unchanging qualities.
Some social categories are treated as "species" with traits seen as biologically inherited, leading to endogamy (in-group marriage).
This can lead to stereotyping and social separation.

Cagots: Medieval France and Spain, marginalized group perceived as inherently different with stereotypes about sexuality and cleanliness. This led to social isolation and limited roles.
Blacksmiths in West Africa: Viewed as a distinct caste with stereotypes about appearance and behavior, often enduring ostracism even as traditional blacksmithing declined.
Hindu Caste System: Classifications viewed as natural and inherited with distinctions in occupation, purity, and diet. Strict endogamy and segregation are maintained by beliefs in essential differences.

Essentialism and Nationalism

Non-ethnic model: A republic based on shared values and citizenship rather than ethnicity (e.g., the US and post-revolutionary France).
Ethnic model: Nationhood based on common ancestry, language, and cultural history, often emphasizing jus sanguinis (right of blood) (e.g., various European nationalist movements and Japan's nationalism from the 1890s to 1940s).

While essentialist thinking explains some stereotypes and group distinctions, it doesn't fully account for emotional responses like fear or hatred.
It struggles to explain "single drop" phenomena, where one group's "essence" is considered more impactful, often negatively.
Essentialism may be a factor in attitudes but is only part of the explanation for complex social dynamics.

Cultural Theories of Disease

Different cultures have varied explanations for illness, including:
- Humorism: Imbalance of bodily fluids (e.g., black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, blood) causing disease.
- Miasma theory: Belief in "poisoned air" or "foul air" spreading illness.

Intuitive Expectations about Disease and Contagion

Automatic, non-reflective intuitions about disease often involve:
- Invisible vectors: Diseases are caused by unseen entities (e.g., germs, "cooties").
- Any mode of contact: Transmission can occur through touch, breath, and shared food.
- Dose indifference: Belief that even minimal contact with a disease vector can cause infection.

Evolutionary Background of Disease Avoidance

Exposure to toxins, bacteria, and parasites during human evolution created a need for protective psychological responses.
The trade-off between hunger and disgust helped balance nutritional needs with avoiding potential pathogens.
Disgust evolved as a reaction to harmful substances, contributing to survival by triggering avoidance behaviors.

Disgust as a Protective Mechanism

Disgust causes a visceral reaction aimed at deterring contact with harmful substances.
Common triggers: bodily fluids, rotten foods, insects, and parasites, all associated with potential pathogens.

Disgust Across Cultures

While disgust is a universal emotion, the triggers can vary by culture due to differences in dietary and hygiene practices.
Examples include disgust at certain foods, like grubs or fermented cheese, which may be nutritious but carry pathogen risks.

Development of Eating Preferences and Disgust

Children's eating preferences and disgust reactions develop in stages:
- Stage 1 (under 2 years): Omnivorous, exploratory eating.
- Stage 2 (2-5 years): Food separation and neophobia (fear of new things).

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Description

Explore the connections between ethnoscience, folk biology, and the distinctive properties of living organisms. This quiz delves into how cultural knowledge shapes our understanding of life, reproduction, and homeostasis. Engage with key concepts that highlight the intricate relationship between human cognition and biological systems.